Lawmakers partner for increased Lyme and tick funding

ALBANY, N.Y.–The research aid for Tick-Borne Diseases Act has been introduced by New York State Senator Terry Gipson and Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr.

The Senate and Assembly will provide the New York State Department of Health's Tick Borne Disease Institute with a $1 million appropriation to promote research, detection, education and outreach on tick-borne illness through a competitive grant process.

Funding has been cut by almost 50 percent over the past six years.

“I am proud to join with Senator Gipson in calling for the resources we need to better understand these potentially incapacitating diseases,” said Assemblyman Thiele. “The extent and severity of the Lyme disease cases on the East End has escalated to the point of a public health crisis.”